Tag Archives: cold

It’s that time of year again, lake rats: The 4th of July. And in honor of our upcoming trip to Tims Ford, I’m giving up one of my favorite have-around lake snacks: my version of the Chicken Pasta Salad from Bread & Company. [That stuff is way too expensive to buy by the pound, so I piddled around until I figured out a pretty close imitation. Grommet-style.]

While it will undoubtedly unnerve JR that we are prematurely posting a drink that is obviously a spring/summer beverage on this cold, nasty day, sometimes you need a ray of sunlight at the end of the tunnel to get you through. (Geez, mixed metaphors much? I am NOT on my A-game today folks.)

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The Chef says this recipe is a St. Simon’s classic. Sounds to me like Sneaky Punch‘s slushy Southern cousin. And that simply cannot be bad.

Apparently it’s Bacon Day here at Nummy Num Num, and as days go, that’s not too shabby. The Chef likes to serve this with steak, and I’d like to suggest the Coffee Rubbed variety for your noshing pleasure.

While these are not the height of sophistication nor do they require much culinary prowess, they do include 3 of my favorite things: bacon, mayo and tomatoes. Oh, and Emily’s favorite thing: Wheat Thins. (I didn’t understand how deep that love goes until I caught her eating Mama Dunny’s veggie beef soup with them. Cold, straight out of the container. Classy.)

I’d suggest making these 30 minutes before you plan to serve them at the most because the crackers can get soggy, but for 4 ingredients and a 5-minute prep time, you can’t beat ’em. The picture is of the same type of concoction on a crostini – apparently the Internets don’t know about the Wheat Thin shortcut, so we’re very cutting edge here at Triple N. (Though not cutting edge enough to have an original pic… Coming soon.)

I make these rolls pretty much every time I make Vietnamese, which is a lot. A well-known fact about me is that love Asian food, pretty much all Asian with Chinese takeout style as the exception. When it is nice out, I like to head to Chinatown to discover new and exciting produce/dried seafood stuff/weird sauces pretty much Zimmern type things. I love cooking with fish sauce and recently have been researching on all the different kinds out there. If you are using it in a recipe, it really changes the flavors so it is important to stick to one kind that you like. I prefer Vietnamese fish sauce over Thai. Since there are tons of brands just look for ones that have “nhi” or “thuong hang” in the title. Also, make sure it is a light amber color instead of dark.

Back to the recipe, these shrimp summer rolls are simple, delicious, healthy, and pretty. You can add or take out whatever ingredients you like (sometimes I use shrimp and pork), but don’t overstuff your rolls! They are finger foods and should not be drooping. You should be able to find most ingredients at your grocery store, but may need to trek to the ethnic pet store for the rice paper. I serve these with Nuoc cham sauce which I also use as a dressing when making vermicelli dishes. You could also use a peanut sauce. – ts
My tip: when rolling these make sure you have the imprinted side of rice paper roll facing up

Cook noodles in boiling water per package instructions, about 3 minutes, then rinse under cool water.

Fill bowl with warm water. Dip rice paper in warm water for about 3-4 seconds, until rice paper becomes moistened with water.

After dipping your rice paper in warm water, lay wrapper onto your dry work surface. Allow rice paper to soak up water and become soft and pliable (about 30 seconds to 1 minute) before you start to roll.

Layer with a small amount of shrimp, noodles herbs, and lettuce. Layer your filling ingredients on the edge of the wrapper closest to you, shrimp first. I like to drizzle a little hoison sauce and siracha over the fillings. To form the roll, first fold the sides into the center over the filling, then fold and roll, just before you complete the roll add 2 pieces of garlic chives so that they stick out at one end.

For dipping sauce just combine all ingredients together in a small bowl.

I am a huge fan of yellow/mayo-y/creamy southern style potato salad. My all time favorite used to be the kind that WP gets from the grocery in Horseshoe, but all that changed after eating Chef John’s mom’s potato salad. This recipe lives up to its name. I don’t know if I can make potato salad any other way now. Feel free to go wild and add cheese or jalapenos. -ts

Chef John says: I love sides. Personally, I think they’re the best part of the meal, especially if we be talkin BBQ. Nothing is better than getting a side that is so damn good that you completely forget about everything else on the plate. My Mama made this for a big dinner several years ago and every time she cooks I beg and plead for her to make it. I’ve had the pleasure of eating this many times but every time I take that first bite I let out some sort of animalistic noise and my eyes rollback in my head… I can’t help it. If you want a simple description, imagine a fully loaded baked potato disguising itself as potato salad.

Despite his tendency to explain things in such extreme detail that it makes me want to watch E! and read People magazine for 24-hours straight just to give my brain a rest, Alton Brown knows his shiz. This recipe was taken from his and was salty, rich deliciousness. The Chef is usually not a fan of olives, but tapenade made him a believer, so try it on for size if you’re a skeptic.

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste, approximately 1 to 2 minutes total. (I processed less because I like it to keep a sturdier texture. That is the weirdest phrase I’ve typed in a while.) Transfer to a bowl and serve with homemade crostini or pita bread – it needs a bready texture to soak up the saltiness, so purchase accordingly.

*I’d suggest 1/3 each of green, black and something funky like kalamata.
**Just pull them out of the can and go with it. Over-thinking is bad as far as these weird but nummy little thingies go.